The MAYA collection was named after Wode Maya – our undisputed choice for the Republic's gong-beater. In a few years, Maya has successfully showcased the continent to millions, serving as one of the most effective town criers. 'Maya' is also a play on words – in the Ga language it means I will go.
And go we will!
This collection was designed from a place of poignant self reflection.
What do people who believe in Africa wear? How do they want to show up in the world they are working so hard to change?
Where is it that they go? Which stages do they stand on?
Do they want to be seen? Do they want to get lost in a crowd? Do they have the same desires? Surely there must be a spectrum of how loud they want their pride to be?
Again, after years of staying safely in the design of the GIGI, venturing into the MAYA collection was a big task.
So we got to work to create a collection that is as stunning as it is practical, with pieces which can be worn as separates or as sets – and sets which can be mixed up into more sets.
We imagined these clothes as tools – tools with which the tribe would express itself.
What we ended up with was a collection which looked like it had stepped straight out of Black Panther. From Vegas to Cape Town, people echoed our thoughts – “this piece is from Wakanda,” they said.
From the fabric choices made – from cotton grown and hand dyed with the indigo plant in Ouidah-Benin by a powerful female visionary, to a signature RoA kente woven in northern Ghana – the fabric choices made were intentional and reflective of our belief in the continent.
The designs are sculptural and striking, and rich in detail: we have waist-beads paying homage to the feminine heritage of West Africa, and hand detailing of the RoA logo which is reminiscent of the African map.
And it is refreshing to see the MAYA Collection being worn on stages around the world by the people it was created for – people who are passionately solving problems on the African continent.
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